He’s taken some of the most prestigious awards that currently exist in the hot rod world, he has a hit television show and even non-hot rodders know him by name and face.
But, for the most part, we see Chip Foose’s work one piece at a time. A car here, a sketch there. Rarely do we get a chance to see it as a whole, to glean some sort of context to it all.
The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles will change that, starting March 25, when it will feature “From Pen to Pavement,” a display of Foose’s work set to run through November 12.
Among the works on display will be “Impression,” the Foose-designed and built 1936 roadster that took both the 2005 Don Ridler Memorial Award and the 2006 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award, marking the eighth time that a creation Foose had a hand in won the coveted nine-foot trophy. Foose’s Grand Master and Stallion, his 2002 and 2003 Ridler award winners, will also be on display, as well as his own 1956 Ford pickup.
For more information, visit the museum’s Web site at www.petersen.org.
In other Foose news, show promoter Blackie Gejeian plans to name Foose as Builder of the Year at his Fresno Autorama March 17-19, and to include the same three Ridler winners in the show.

(This post originally appeared in the March 23, 2006, issue of the Hemmings eWeekly Newsletter.)